The Eagle And the Fox
THE FABLE:
An eagle and a fox, having become friends, decided to live near one another and become neighbours. They believed that this proximity would strengthen their friendship. So the eagle flew up and established herself on a very high branch of a tree, where she made her nest. And the fox, creeping about among the bushes which were at the foot of the same tree, made her den there, depositing her babies right beneath the eagle.
But, one day when the fox was out looking for food, the eagle, who was very short of food too, swooped down to the bushes and took the fox cubs up to her nest and feasted on them with her own young.
When the fox returned, she was less distressed at the death of her little ones than she was driven mad by frustration at the impossibility of ever effectively avenging herself. For she, a land animal could never hope to pursue a winged bird. She had no option but to content herself, in her powerlessness and feebleness, with cursing her enemy form afar.
Now it was not long afterwards that the eagle did actually receive her punishment for her crime against her friend.
Some men were sacrificing a goat in the countryside and the eagle swooped down on the altar, carrying off some burning entrails, which she took up to her nest. a strong wind arose which blew the fire from the burning entrails into some old straw that was in the nest. The eaglets were singed, and as they were not yet able to fly, when they leapt from the nest they fell to the ground. The fox rushed up and devoured them all in front of the eagle’s eyes.
MORAL:
This story shows that if you betray friendship, you may evade the vengeance of those whom you wrong if they are weak, but ultimately you cannot escape the vengeance of heaven.
WHAT IS AN ETCHING?:
An Etching is a handmade print from an etched metal plate; the artwork/design on the plate having been created and engraved by the artist.
You can place an order on another handmade print, then I can get one pressed for you.
PRINTMAKING: HANDMADE PRINTS:
Printmaking; (not to be confused with Giclee, commercial and affordable, digitally reproduced colour copies of an original painting) is a highly physical, time consuming and industrial process – hence the term, Handmade! Therefore, Each Handmade Print is an original so no 2 pressings from the same plate, no matter how hard one tries, is going to be identical to the other. They are pricier for a reason!
THE NATURE OF HANDMADE PRINTS FROM THE SAME PLATE:
Printmaking is versatile; a print from the same plate can be produced by the artist using a different colour of ink or a blend of coloured inks.
TO ORDER A HANDMADE PRINT WHICH IS OUT OF STOCK, I WILL NEED A DEPOSIT:
In order to prepare and etch a plate, and to use the Print Press, I have to hire Kew Studio for the day so that I can use their equipment. If you’d like a particular handmade print, but it is Out Of Stock, contact me to place an order so that I can book a slot at Kew and get one produced. To do this, I will need a small deposit!
AN IN DEPTH DESCRIPTION:
THE INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING PROCESS:
The opposite of Relief Printing, Intaglio; (of which Etching/Aquatint&Mezzotint) are a part), is an image or design incised or engraved into a metal plate by the artist for the purpose of making handmade prints.
WHAT IS AN ETCHING?:
Etching is part of the Intaglio family and began in the 14th Century as a way of decorating metal, but was only used for printmaking from around the early 16th Century. An Etching is a Handmade Print from an etched metal plate; the artwork/design on the plate having been composed and engraved by the artist.
The plate is prepared with an acid resistant ground. Lines are drawn into the ground exposing the metal. The metal plate is then submerged acid that ‘bites’ into the drawn lines creating incisions. The acid resist is removed and ink is applied to the sunken lines; the excess ink is wiped from the surface of the plate which is then placed against paper and passed through a printing press with great pressure to transfer the ink from the incised lines.